Removal of front struts

Pctree24fan

Not spinning, not moving, have the impact in reverse. God I hope I am not going in the wrong direction. Driving me freakin crazy. Have not tried a breaker bar, to afraid I would strip it out. I am not going to let this damn thing whip my ***!!!

ChrisSlicks

That sucker is on there tight! I don't remember having that much trouble. If the impact isn't getting anywhere then you can try the breaker bar, sometimes constant torque is better than the hammer.

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SPOHN

I never use impact on my car until I brake loose the bolts by hand then I zip them off.

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tjlazer

yep thats what I did on each side, but I got them off! Rounded them nuts nicely when the socket slipped off a few times...

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2009 370Z Monterey Blue,Nismo Conversion,RE-11's, K&N Typhoon intakes,Blue Kickplates,Homelink,FI 18" CBE,ERZ HFCs,Hotchkis sways, Swift Spec-R, EVO-R Highwing, UPREV

DarkJak

I was at a friend's house trying to get this exact bolt off. The right side came off after some olympic level pulling, but the left side absolutely wouldn't budge. Broke 2 rachets at first, and then started bending our breaker bar, and wouldn't even budge from an impact wrench at 150 psi. Just gave up, I'm just taking it to a shop and letting them deal with it.

chops

wow, ive never had issues with the 19mm bolt. simple 1/2" ratchet, 6pt - 19mm socket and a 2 foot breaker bar has never failed me. come to think of it, no bolt on my car has been difficult with that breaker bar

JIN2012

I know this is pretty old , but I figured I'd share my recent experience incase someone else runs into this: I Got a good shop (has long handle) jack , some hockey pucks and stacked them up on the jack. Got my breaker bar and 19mm socket on the nut. On other side I placed a 22mm wrench on the other nut to prevent it from spinning making sure the wrench was resting on the subframe. I then just jacked up the breaker bar saving my back and satisfyingly watched the nut break loose as the suspension made like a sudden downward motion when the nut gave up. As for the bolt on the flimsy braket on the strut, I just placed an Allen key behind bracket to stop it from flexing then hit the bolt with the breaker bar and socket. The other bracket with 3 14mm bolts, I hit the one bolt thats by itself with an air impact wrench, came out like butter, the other two I used a 14mm socket and ratchet..

As for removing the strut I used SPOHNs advice and removed the strut by carefully dropping it towards the back of the car but being careful with the brake line. Trying to push down on the rotor to get the strut over the lca is the asinine way.

Girald

I just removed mine to swap springs...
How i did it, you might do it differently

With the car off the ground and front wheels removed..

You start with the sway bar end links ( which attach your struts to the assembly at the bottom).

One those are out, put a jack under the lower control arm and add slight pressure...

Then open the hood, remove the strut mount 3 nuts and ring...

unscrew the brake line nut, unmount the brake line from the strut / and unhinge the rubber line grommets held by the strut

unbolt ( be careful to neutralize the spindle or you can wreck the threads) upper control arm spindle and push it all the way up

Lower the jack or remove it completely if you dont need it

push down on the lower control arm until you can free the strut from the top or from the bottom (removing the strut by pulling the lower end out worked for me



that should be it... I had to pull mine twice since I needed to adjust my upper control arm a few times to 0 camber the wheels.. This order of steps should be fine so long as a jack is supporting assembly right under where the strut is connected, just so it stays in place to make removing the top nuts easier... the strut didnt jump out at me during the process.. the spring is contained withing the strut itself, so it was like removing any other part on the car. The rear oem spring is another matter.



BTW your retorque specs should be:
(Info contained in the FSM in the FSU section)

120 foot pounds for the end link nut that connects the shock absorber to the "transverse link"
62 foot pounds for the end link nut that connects the swaybar
41 foot pounds for the nut/bolt that locks in the control arm spindle
22 foot pounds for the 3 top nuts with the black ring (accessed from the engine bay)

Dont forget threadlocker...

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AAM tt'ed // Soon: Moving back to the East Coast

Girald

just the red indicated.... a breaker bar and it comes out like butta

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AAM tt'ed // Soon: Moving back to the East Coast

fairladyATX

Anyone have a part number on the 14mms? I messed up the bolt head pretty bad getting it off (but luckily it came off). Want to replace it with a new one.

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"Casual" track car...NASA TX.

cv129

Maybe these diagrams can help.

https://www.nissanpartsdeal.com/part...uspension.html

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fairladyATX

It appears the bolts are part of the lower control arm assembly only, and aren't separate. I think this is why everyone else was having issues sourcing these too. Its the bolts shown on the black bracket:

https://www.nissanpartsdeal.com/part...500-1ea3b.html

Ace Hardware didn't have one either. Thread pitch was slightly different.
Might have to go junkyard diving...

edit: they are M10x1.25 30mm. Can find them here: https://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/129/3546/95735A631

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"Casual" track car...NASA TX.